The Tate unveils revamped games and membership pack

The Tate is relaunching two of its children’s products, with new designs by Buddy Creative.

The Art in a Box activity pack, which the Tate has sold for about six years, will now feature illustrations by Rebecca Sutherland and new packaging and branding by Buddy.

‘Art in a Box is a really good seller, but we didn’t want it to become stagnant,’ says Tate product developer Jessica Turnbull. ‘In the past six months we have decided that some of our products need revamping.’

Buddy creative partner Mark Girvan adds that ‘the previous branding [by Rachel Hamdi and Holly Mann] was created in a naive and almost “un-design” style, so we have tried to give it a bit more shelf presence’. Buddy has redesigned the set’s artist cards (pictured), which feature the works of 20 artists and instructions on making your own artwork on the back of the cards, as well as the packaging.

The redesigned Art in a Box will go on shelf this week, and in February the gallery will relaunch its Art Collector card game. Buddy is also working with Sutherland on this product.

The Tate appointed Buddy to redesign the toys on the strength of its previous work for the gallery, according to Girvan.

The group has been working on Tate products for more than 18 months, including a reuseable shopping bag called the Bigger Picture, a kaleidoscope art set and some Tate sketchbooks, claims Girvan.

‘We try to be leaders and do things that other galleries haven’t done yet, which is what people expect of us,’ says Turnbull. ‘That is why we work so closely with designers and artists on our projects.’

The Tate has also just launched its 2010 membership pack (pictured above), created by Fallon over the past six months. The consultancy worked with artist Jim Lambie to create the artwork for the boxes.

Last year, Fallon worked with David Shrigley on membership packs. Fallon head of art and design Mark Elwood reveals that he is talking with a female artist to collaborate with the group on the next box.

The Tate’s recent designers

• Why Not Associates created posters for Tate Britain’s Turner and the Masters exhibition in September
• Thoughtful created the marketing materials for Tate Liverpool’s Colour Chart show this summer
• Fallon Design Associates has created membership packs for the Tate with artist Jim Lambie
• Buddy Creative has redesigned two children’s games for the Tate shop